Bet you didn’t know that the Bangkok International Motor Show is now 35 years strong. With that kind of history, is it any wonder that Ford is rolling out new vehicles for Asia (and the rest of the world) to see? Ford has one concept car and two new production vehicles to whet the appetite of consumers and enthusiasts alike.
“The Bangkok Motor Show is a great opportunity to showcase our growing lineup of global Ford vehicles available to customers in this dynamic and growing region,” says President of Ford ASEAN (Association of South-East Asian Nations), Matt Bradley. “By bringing customers more choice of powertrains in the new Fiesta, and an exciting new urban SUV with the all-new EcoSport, we’re confident that our momentum will continue this year.”
The Everest concept looks like a production-ready vision of their mid-sized seven-seat Ford SUV. Designed for ASEAN and global markets, the Everest Concept is characterized as a “breakthrough blend of strength, style and technology” and created by Ford’s regional design and product development team in Australia. “The Everest Concept represents our vision of a global Ford vehicle with regional heritage that will allow customers to take on the world,” says Bradley. “It shows how we continue to implement an ongoing product-led transformation and futher expand our showrooms across the ASEAN region.”
For the Fiesta, Ford is adding another engine and transmission for the ASEAN market: the 1.5L Ti-VCT engine matched to Ford’s six-speed PowerShift transmission. This global motor will give consumers fine fuel economy, low emissions, and what Ford characterizes as “the convenience of an automatic transmission with the responsive performance of a manual.” The new Fiesta is packed with Ford’s SYNC in-car connectivity system, which should be familiar to American consumers, and other contemporary technologies.
Also in the spotlight in Bangkok is the all-new EcoSport urban SUV, this time developed by a global team based in South America. The EcoSport is being built at the company’s state-of-the-art Ford Thailand Manufacturing (FTM) facility in Rayong for the domestic Thai market and export across ASEAN. Aside of SYNC in-car connectivity, consumers can expect high fuel efficiency, class-leading cargo area, 500mm water-wading capability, and 200mm of ground clearance.
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